Teahupo‘o Roars To Life

Teahupo‘o Roars To Life

The world’s best big wave riders take on the first major swell of the season in Tahiti

As the first big south swell of 2013 begins to focus its energy on the tiny island of Tahiti, calls are made, flights are booked, and jet skis are dusted off after their long slumber. It starts off as a purple blurb down in Antarctica, and slowly fades to red as it hits the open waters of the South Pacific. “The winds are gonna be bad,” “It’s bigger than forecasted,” “Everyone is going to Chopes!”

Game on.

Monday in the sleepy village of Teahupo‘o kicked off with 6-8 foot waves out at its famed reef pass, but by the afternoon, the swell had quickly jumped up well past the point of paddling, and the tow teams sprang into action. Mark Healey, Raimana Van Bastolaer, Manoa Drollet, Koa Rothman, Alex Gray, Wade Goodall, Alain Riou, Billy Kemper and more mad dogs got the waves of their lives yesterday. Enjoy the show and come back tomorrow for round two…

Watch the action live today at tahiti-webcam.com. It’s not the best experience but you get the picture…

Raimana Van Bastolaer on the wave of the day. Teahupo‘o, May 13, 2013. Photo: Brian Bielmann